Adetokunbo was severely sent off in the last game and used the upset to motivate him to perform well. But Milwaukee did not succeed in entering the match and already in the first quarter Indiana led 30:12. In the second quarter, Adetokunbo took it upon himself and 18 points started the team’s turnaround. He even scored 20 points in the third quarter and the Bucks led by 10 points. But in the last five minutes, the Pacers were able to defend him and not allow him a single point, and they turned the score around with an 18-4 streak. Adetokunbo remained one point shy of his personal best and three points shy of the club record held by Michael Redd.
“We had to deal with a player who was in extremely good form today. But we also finished very well. In the end, we took a little risk in defense and created chaos there so that Janis wouldn’t give us over 60 points. And fortunately, it got us the win,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. Tyrese Haliburton helped Indiana with 29 points and 10 assists, Bennedict Mathurin had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Myles Turner had 21 points. In total, the Pacers helped themselves with 20 three-pointers.
The players of Atlanta and Orlando graduated from the NBA in Mexico and offered the audience a thrilling spectacle. The Magic still led by 11 points with eight minutes left, but Atlanta was able to get back into the game and tie it with a minute left. Franz Wagner then gave Orlando the lead, but 30 seconds before the end, Dejounte Murray hit a three-pointer and it decided the victory for the Hawks.
On the other hand, Paulo Banchero, the author of 17 points, did not use the chance to turn around. Jalen Suggs was the Magic’s best scorer with 21 points. As many as seven players had double-digit points.
| NBA: |
|---|
| Indiana – Milwaukee 126:124 |
| Orlando – Atlanta 119:120 |
